F8 F8 vs 488 GTB

Saw a YouTube on the week end someone changing their Pista exhaust to Inconel . Looks like only the headers are Inconel. Dare say it would be the same with the F8

 

" ..the 488, which is a great car without truly glaring fault, didn't tug at the heartstrings quite as much as a Ferrari should. Ferrociously fast, wonderfully balanced and surprisingly comfortable, it lacked drama, the engine note subdued, the power band a little too linear and the handling, well, a little too balanced. It reminded me of a McLaren built in Maranello. Oh, with the 660 - horsepower, the performance was there, but, somehow, the pizzazz was missing.."- Kelly Blue Book

 

That is the stupidest review I’ve ever read. 5000 miles behind the 488 gives me a completely opposite opinion of the person that reviewed the 488 after probably driving it less than 20 miles.

God these reviewers are the worst. They just need to write something stupid to try to stay relevant.

 

Reviewer feels the F8 is a tangible improvement over the 488 on every metric of performance and subjectively more exciting and compelling to drive.

Not only do I not view his review as the stupidest ever, I echo his evaluation. The 488 for me is a stellar performer that does lack the elevated emotional content a car of this stature should impart. I feel similarly about the 720S which is another car you hold dear. We simply have differing preferences and priorities in this realm. That does not make you or I smart of stupid, just different.

 

The same reviewer, David Booth , wrote the following after testing the 488. " The new 488 is faster. It's also quicker around a track, more civilized to drive and probably more reliable. But nothing under $400,000 offers the same degree of drama of a 458."

 

I take all of these modern automotive journalist reviews with a grain of salt. As enthusiasts, we all assign different valuations to various characteristics like acceleration, ultimate straight-line speed, cornering, braking ability, sound, steering feel, exterior appearance, interior design, feedback, rawness, curb weight, cost, etc. Same with the ownership experience: some folks love detailing their cars. I personally dread it. Some folks always go rosso corsa over tan. I cherish the full-on customization TM experience.

I like the 488 GTB much more than many of my knowledgeable friends. It has excellent road handling ability, torque in spades, and an everyday practicality which rate highly with me since I drive a Ferrari everyday and put thousands of miles on most of my cars.

Likewise, the 720S really impressed me. Love the organic, resolved, and innovative exterior styling. Imho, its steering feel and ultimate road handling capabilities may be the best of any street car that I’ve ever driven. It’s so easy to place precisely in corners, even on rough roads, due to the intuitive steering and excellent overall feedback. It approaches the prototype cars that I’ve raced on track.

The 488 GTB is a close second which makes me very excited about our incoming Pista. I’m sure the F8 will also be brilliant but I have lingering reservations about GPF and its possible effect on sound based on the videos I’ve seen, regardless of what the journos say. Like most of our modern MSM, they are more biased than in the past, maybe because their paychecks depend on writing glowing reviews about the “latest and greatest” to maintain access to the manufacturers.


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Gee, 200 pounds lighter and 60 more hp and his conclusion is that the F8 is a tangible improvement over the 488. You dont say. Never in a million years would have thought an incoming refresh of a current car that is lighter and has more power than its predecessor would be an improvement. lol. And this guy gets paid to write this stuff. Brilliant

 

Remind the people who own a 488 and 720s, 458, etc.... Exactly how much experience you have with the Ferrari and Mclaren cars that you are constantly giving your opinion about?

Miles driven, hours spent, city driving, highway driving, track driving, drag strip, etc.

 

I read the reviews for casual interest or to garner technical knowledge that may be unavailable elsewhere. The sole determinating factor in making a buying decision is driving the car of interest sufficiently to determine if it satisfies my very specific and intransigent preferences and priorities and the car that aligns more fully with my predilections is the one that gets my $.

 

Got it... You rely on other people's reviews that you agree with...

 

Again, as exoticcardreamer stated, please let us know how many miles you have behind the wheel of a 488 and 720.

 

How you came to your conclusion which is precisely the opposite of what I stated is puzzling.

I drove the 720S and the 488 on 2 separate occasions. I initially test drove the 720S which lasted 90 minutes. The drive encompased highways, twisting, quiet country roads and an industrial area virtually devoid of traffic. Subsequently repeated the procedure with the 488. At that point, after also test driving the 610-4, I was close to purchasing the 720S but I was waiting for a demo Performante to become available, which it did the following month. The 720S , especially after driving the 570S and 610-4, amazed me with its blazing speed, tenacious grip, precise maneoverability especially impressive in hard cornering and yet how comfortable and refined was its driving demeanor. I felt similarly about the 488. The choice between them would be splitting hairs but that blistering speed caused me to favor the 720S. Yet I still could not help but feel, that both cars were excessively comfortable and compliant and there was a paucity of rawness that I was seeking. I then drove the Performante following the same route and procedure. Within a few minutes into the drive, I was already experiencing a heightened level of connection to the car and greater steering and suspension feedback. The engine sound proved intoxicating. At the conclusion of the test drive, I was so enamoured by the driving dynamics of this car, I was convinced I found the car that I had been seeking. While the 720S was objectively quicker, the Performante imparted the sensation of greater speed. This car simply more fully comported to my preferences and priorities. I placed an order for the car. Ten months later I took delivery and my initial impressions were fully solidified. My eagerness to drive the car and the pleasure I derived from it was immeasurable.

After 3 months of ownership and daily driving my curiosity of how the 720s and 488 would now compare got the better of me. Firstly I arranged another test drive of the 720S with McLaren , who graciously complied. I had the same sales rep and with full disclosure I advised that I would like to give the 720S another go after being intimately (only in a car sense) familiar with my Performante. We adhered to the same procedure and time frame as the previous test drive. I arrived at the same conclusion. I frankly told the sales rep that I can clearly respect all the objective excellences of the 720S but it lacks the thrill factor and adrenaline inducing rush that results when driving the Performante. Unexpectedly, he agreed. He opinied that he wished the 720S tamp down the speed, which was unusable 95% of the time and elevated the car- driver connectivity with a greater sense of driver engagement.

By this time I was seriously keen on ordering the F8 not as a replacement to the Performante but as an addition. I requested another test drive with the 488 with the assumption that the F8 would be an appreciable upgrade from the 488 on all levels. If the 488 was close to satifying me then the F8 would surely be a worthwhile purchase. None were available as a demo but 3 weeks later I was contacted and advised one had arrived and an appointment was arranged. Same procedure as before. I pushed the car to speeds many miles beyond lawful. The rep was especially impressed and advised that the typical test drives, if any, are usually placid affairs with the car being driven in a docile manner. He actually got a thrill from our adventure and expressed how enlightening was the experience. My respect for the technical attributes and stellar overall performance of the 488 was perhaps even more evident but the lack of the subjective qualities that were determined lacking, still were,perhaps even more marked. I advised the rep of my feelings and candidly admitted that I would not be interested in ever purchasing the 488 but on faith I will proceed with the purchase of the F8 which I did.

Prior to my search for a new supercar, I possessed no brand loyalties, no biases, no preconceived notions. I was an impartial car enthusiast on an adventure to purchase the most satifying car I could find. That car happened to be the Performante. I can fully appreciate why someone would prefer the 488 or the 720s. We should all be grateful that so many enticing choices exist.

 

Over the decades I have driven the F355, 360, tracked the F430 and 458. Hopefully that further confirms my bona fides to the exotic dreamer. If my posts and the opinions contained therein, do not meet with your approval, refrain from reading them or better yet place me on ignore.

 

why do you need thousands of miles in a car to have an opinion and thought on a car? As long as you have driven the car once for a few miles that should suffice for some sort of opinion. I agree with a lot of what @Coincid has to say. I own a 458 and the first time I drove it, within minutes and a few miles I knew it was special and had to have it. I drove the 488 at a dealership track day and knew within minutes that it wasn’t what I was after and didn’t excite me.
6 months ago I decided I wanted something new and went to drive what I believe is the ultimate Ferrari ( within my financial reach anyway ) the 812. Specced one up and was ready to go. Drove it for 40min and again it wasn’t what I was expecting or looking for. Walked away from it. So I went and drove a huracan performante and again within minutes and a few miles I knew it was what I was looking for. It was exciting to drive and I felt it instantly. So now I own a 458 and a performante.

With the 812 the dealer pleaded with me to come back for a second drive, saying you can’t gauge the car with one drive. While at first I agreed , after thinking about it I decided not to. For me if it’s not love at first drive then she is not the one. I shouldn’t need her to convince me she is the one with a second date. If there’s no spark and serious connection after a short first date then I move along.

 

You absolutely can have an opinion on a car without ever even driving it. Hell, we have a famous member here on the boards who is notorious for being an expert on cars and has never driven any car that he comments on. However, would you agree that if someone has thousands of miles on a car that their opinion should carry more weight than someone who took a casual drive?

My beef is with these so called journalists who pontificate ad nauseam and say stuff just to rile up the readers and sound intelligent. I go back to the comment that the reviewer feels that the F8 is a tangible improvement over the 488. Well blow me over with a feather! How insightful of him.

 

Totally concur with Big A. While the full measure of a car's capabilities will require more extensive testing in a variety of environments, the essential driving characteristics reveal themselves in a relatively short time. The comments by the two individuals above were simply made in an attempt to undermine my credibility and question the validity of my assertions.

 

oh please. I was commenting on the ridiculous comments by the so called journalist. You can have any opinion you want. No one cares.

 

Firstly, there are some on this forum who do not believe the F8 represents a significant upgrade over the 488. They are of the opinion that the F8 is nothing more than a mild evolutionary change. The review in question, as many others, enunciate the areas where the improvements are wrought. Furthermore, those with decades of experience in driving super cars, do not require thousands of driving miles to determine the true worth of the car. A casual drive, as you refer to it, will in most cases , be insufficient. A thorough test drive encompassing a varieties of environments will reveal the salient driving personalities and capabilities of the car that further experience will confirm.

 

I have not read a single person saying this. Not one.

 

This comment contradicts your second to last post. You were questioning my driving experience with these 2 cars with the implicit assertion that it is either nil or very limited.

 

There is a difference between having a conversation and undermining your opinion. You stated a ridiculous premise by a "journalist" and I challenged the opinion of the write based on my personal experience. I simply asked your driving experience and what led you to your opinion when you disagreed. You answered and I didnt question you or challenge you further. Like I said, you can have any opinion you want on a car but its also the right of a member to challenge assertions which do not mimic reality especially when said by members of the press who these days dont seem be interested in getting the truth out there- only propaganda.

 

I have been consistent in stating that if someone has not had actual driving experience with a car, their opinions on the driving characteristics of that vehicle
is of no value.

 

I didnt think the Pista had the GPF, certainly not the 19s. Do you know the answer for sure?

 

No Pista have GPF.

F8 engine has GPF and also I believe a few other mechanical changes as well as software changes.